Fatigue and Manners
by CalmCrescendo
Summary: Natsume's fatigued. Resulting to Mikan's sudden awareness of manners. How did that happen? Well. NxM, Please review!


Fatigue and Manners

**Fatigue and Manners**

_You're one in a million, once in a lifetime_

_You made me discover the stars up above us_

--

It is late afternoon and the sky is a beautiful mixture of pink and orange. The Northern Woods is getting darker. Occasionally animals will scurry around and birds will fly into their homes. It's a beautiful sight; why not? It's sunset in Alice Academy.

But amidst all the beautiful sightings is a lonely boy walking aimlessly around. The seventeen year-old Natsume Hyuuga staggered helplessly around, his eyes blurred. He was again sent to one of Persona's dangerous missions "that can save the academy" and "weaken the forces of the enemy little by little".

'Whatever," the boy thought, 'Weakening the forces of enemy… Moron.'

Natsume leaned his hand against a tree. His eyes are shut closed.

'Damn,' he thought, 'This is it. I'm going to die.'

Right after he thought that, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was so painful; it's like being stabbed by a stiletto knife. Natsume can barely take it, his supporting arm is shaking, his knees are weak, and the pain is getting stronger. He is going to faint, he's losing consciousness every passing second.

His arm gave up and Natsume expected the hard ground, but nothing came. He tried to open his eyes, but he can't. He completely gave in to the darkness that is death.

Or not.

Natsume bolted up right and felt his head collide into something hard. Is he in a compartment? Just like what happened back when he was ten?

A shriek came.

That was not a part of the compartment story. So he's not captured by the AAO. Good.

But where_ is_ he?

Frowning, he looked to his left, expecting the usual white-curtained windows of the Academy Hospital. But all he saw was a familiar, fluffy pink sofa where he usually sat on when he went to… Mikan's room.

He heard a huff from his right, and his head turned to face the owner of the room.

"Why do you have to sit up all of a sudden? Why can't you just open your eyes and say, 'HELLO WORLD, I'M AWAKE HAHA LET'S CELEBRATE HAHAHA'?" She said, her hands waving around. Her bright voice filled the previously quiet room. No wonder every time she's in the classroom or within 5 meters of distance the atmosphere suddenly booms into life and spreads like shockwaves. She's a sunshine. _Natsume's _sunshine. Heh, that explains boys of all ages being sent to the hospital every week having different cases, mostly involving fire. If not fire, then maybe a certain red-colored pair of orbs. _If looks could kill, every boy would be dead. Fortunately looks could only injure. _

Natsume stared at the girl in front of him. "Why would I say that? I'm not an idiot to _not _know that the world doesn't give a care whether or not I wake each day."

Mikan's childish frown disappeared. "Why are you emotional suddenly? _I_ care." She said in a sad tone.

"Whatever."

"Won't you even say thank you? I saved you there in the Northern Woods!" Mikan demanded.

"I never say thank you." Natsume said dismissively. "Why were you there anyway?"

"You didn't say thank you."

Natsume purposely misunderstood the statement. "I didn't say thanks that's why you're there? Weird."

Mikan glared at him. Natsume shrugged. "You didn't say thank you."

It's Natsume's turn to glare. "Tell me the truth." He said icily, as if his tone can make her spill the beans.

"You didn't say thank you."

"For God's sake, Polka dots!"—glare—"I'm just asking." Mikan stared at him for a moment. The boy never asks, let alone pleads.

"Fine," She finally said. "I was just strolling around." She hitched her shoulders uncaringly, as if it was no big deal.

Natsume frowned. The girl's lying, it's obvious because a) she said "You didn't say thank you" more that the given limit—that is, to annoy people—and b) she's a bad liar. Of course.

"Tch. I know you're lying." He said.

Mikan squirmed. "You didn't say thank you."

Natsume's eyebrow twitched. "Saying thank you is different from telling the truth, you idiot."

Mikan tilted her head to one side, her eyebrows knotting as she looked upwards. "Of course not!" Pause. "They're both manners." She looked back at Natsume.

"Whatever. Spill, weird panty girl."

Mikan heaved a sigh. "Will you just let go of your pride for a second and say thanks?" Her shoulders drooped as she raised her eyebrows pleadingly. She looked like a puppy. Her eyes, I mean.

"Nah. For you? Not a chance." Natsume shook his head like the way you shake your head when someone tells a lame joke.

Mikan rolled her eyes. "See? You're an egomaniac. I shouldn't have saved you back in the woods." Her eyes dropped to the bed. She saw a loose string and fiddled with it. "But I just can't." She whispered.

Natsume didn't catch her last sentence, but he can be sure she said something. "Fine. _Thanks._ Now why?" He said in an irritated voice. Mikan's eyes lighted up a bit at the _thanks_ part.

The girl sighed again. "I just can't help it so I searched for you because…"

She said something else but it's fading like and echo of a piano so Natsume interrupted her. "What?" He said.

Mikan was still mumbling when Natsume butted in, so she repeated what she was saying, only a little bit louder. "I just can't help it so I searched for you because if I didn't my conscience will bother me again and I couldn't sleep just like the other days when you told me not to help because you can do it by yourself and it really hurts me." She said it too quickly as if she was in a contest, but Natsume understood. He lifted his hand to her face and stroked the slightly dark shade under her eye with his thumb.

"Is that why you're getting these?" He asked softly.

"Well… partly because of homework but yeah." She said, avoiding his stare.

Natsume's hand fell limply on Mikan's soft bed. He lowered his head. He can't believe he's been doing this to her. He was blinded by his mission to protect her that he didn't realize he was _hurting_ her. How can this girl be that strong? Even though he's constantly the reason of her headaches she never gave up, and he's pushing her to her limit, and still she cared for him. "I'm sorry," he merely whispered, his head still hung low.

There was no reply. Confused, he lifted his head only to meet her shocked stare. "What?" It took all his manly pride to say thanks _and _sorry in a matter of a minute and she only _stared?_

Mikan blinked and shut her mouth—she just realized the moment she did it because she was too shocked. Did he just say _sorry?_ He's being weird today.

"I—I just thought you said thanks _and_ sorry and what's next? Giving me a hand when I bump you every morning?" She asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Natsume merely snorted. "Don't expect too much, Polka dots." He smirked at her.

Mikan gasped. "Hey! Don't call me that! Pervert." She said as she glared at him.

"Oh? How about Stripes?" He raised a brow teasingly, still smirking.

Mikan gaped at him. She's deciding whether not or _to_ look under her skirt if it really is _stripes_ today but the latter would make her even more stupid so she decided to humiliate herself less.

Mikan shot out of the bed as if suddenly electrocuted. "That's it, go out! Out!" She shrieked, sounding like a librarian who just found two teenagers making out in one of the dark corners between the tall shelves.

To keep himself from laughing, Natsume got up from the bed, too—only in his case, calmly—and turned around to head for the door. He opened it and looked back for a second, saying "Goodnight, _Stripes._" And with that he bolted out of the door. He could swear he heard a shriek followed by something hitting the door just after he closed it. Well, Persona isn't wrong about training him to be as fast as lightning, after all.

**The next day…**

A girl can be seen running at a speed of a race car, obviously late for class. Any normal person would not run in a speed like hers when their dorm is just ten minutes away from the campus, but in Mikan Sakura's case, you would do _anything_—even at your dignity's limit—to get to class before the unforgiving bell rings if a) you're a three-star student, b) you're a class representative and most of all, c) when Jinno's your first teacher.

So the girl ran and ran and ran andranenranenranenanenan until _BOOM!_ She bumped to the notorious Natsume Hyuuga. As usual. So the girl staggered backwards as usual and lost balance as usual and plopped down on the floor as usual and got ready to hear the Panty-of-the-Day announcement as usual but instead Natsume merely stared at her.

And _smiled._

More dramatically._ Summmmmiled._

And then OFFERED A MIKAN A HAND.

More dramatically. OFFERED MIKAN A HAND. With a sweet smile.

Not usual.

No ridiculous names of fruits, foods, candies and every design Mikan might have in her collection. Her heart stopped and then started to beat again. Only this time a hundred times faster. She can't speak. Her mind is blank. Did Natsume just offer her a hand? More dramatically. _Smiled,_ then offered her a hand? HIM? There was never a day when she thought _he_ would actually do it. But this is Natsume Hyuuga we're talking about.

Natsume raised an eyebrow at her. "Care to appreciate?" He asked, gesturing to his still-extended hand.

Mikan frowned. Is this really real? _Really real?_ Well, one thing to find out… She took Natsume's hand and he helped her just like normal. But Natsume didn't let go. Not normal. Mikan stared at her blankly. Before she can utter a word, Natsume has his lips on her.

Mikan's mind went blank again. It's like someone has a mind-deactivator alice and just used it on her for fun. She closed her eyes and before she knew it she's responding to the kiss.

After a while, Natsume let go of her hand and broke their "little" moment. And now he's smirking. Mikan stared at him, the word _CONFUSED_ emblazoned across her face. "I—I thought … you changed… helping me… what?" She asked, stammering.

Natsume smirked wider, and said, "Thanks for giving me the idea yesterday."

And then what she said the day before came back to Mikan. _"I—I just thought you said thanks _and_ sorry and what's next? Giving me a hand when I bump you every morning?" _

Mikan felt like slapping her face. Her jaw dropped. Why did she have to say it?! "Oh. My. **God**. Natsume, you moron! You just stole my second kiss! I know, I know first kisses are more talked about but not in my case! _You _stole my first kiss and NOW my second one!! I hate you! I hate you ihateyouihateyou! Don't you know that…" and the torrent goes on.

**Later that day…**

"Miss Sakura! Two detentions! Isn't being late enough for you? Apparently not. Stop talking!"

**Even later that day…**

"Hey, Natsume? What do you think your fan girls' reactions will be when they hear I'm already your girlfriend?"

_Fin_

**Hope you liked it. I'm having some major block on writing Maid to be A Princess, so… I can't update it for now. Sorry guys. **

**/Off to Lalalaland…/**


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